Mechanical pencils



Sept. 14, 1965 A. T. BREWER MECHANICAL PENcILs Filed Dec. 31, 1962 I INVENTOR. {ex Tfirewaz all fly.

BY W

United States Patent 3,205,862 MECHANICAL PENCILS Alex T. Brewer, 5153 N. Elston, Chicago, Ill. Filed Dec. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 248,745 7 Claims. (Cl. 12tl18) This invention relates to a mechanical pencil and in particular to an improvement in mechanical pencils wherein there is provided a novel protective shield for the pencil filler.

It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a mechanical pencil having a protective shield about the filler portion of the pencil.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel pencil having filler or lead reinforcing and protecting means including clutching means holding the reinforcing and protecting means to the lead during the travel of the lead in the pencil.

Another object is to provide a pencil of the type described wherein the clutching means is provided with slot means allowing expansion of the protecting and reinforcing means sufiicient to clasp snugly about the periphery of the pencil filler.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a shield means for the pencil filler which shield means remains in position even when the pencil is not in use.

A further object of this invention is to provide filler protecting and reinforcing means which is simple and compact in design and conducive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of this specification, and with all objects and advantages in view in this disclosure, this invention consists in the several novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in partial section, partly broken and illustrating my novel pencil;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of my novel protecting means taken along lines 33 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a partial view of the novel protective or shield means in a writing position;

FIGURE 5a is an enlarged sectional view of the protective means;

FIGURE 5b is a view similar to FIGURE 5a and containing filler such as lead which expands the protective means;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of a modified form of the novel filler protective means;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view illustrating the protective means of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along lines 88 of FIGURE 6.

In the drawings with particular reference to FIGURES 1 through 50 and 5b, there is shown a mechanical pencil 1 having an upper body or hand gripping portion 2 including an outer shell or casing 3, an upper eraser filler storage chamber 4 capped by an eraser 5 within cavity 6 covered by cap 7. The lower part of the shell 3 has a base 8 having a central poition 3a and a pair of opposed and longitudinally extending grooves or channels 9 and 10 receiving tips 11 and 12 and body 13 of a winged shaped key or guide portion 14 on filler ejecting stem 15 of elongated plunger 16 reciprocable in bore 8 and channel 17 extending beyond bore 8. The channel 1'7 is formed in the housing 18 that is removably received in enlarged chamber 19 of shell 3 and the bearing 29 of housing 18 in place in the casing or shell 3. The lower end of the shell 3 of the body 2 has a thinner diametrical section 21 and defines with the upper section 22 shoulder 23 which bear against ledge 25 of part 29, the end section 21 being received in enlarged bore 27 defined by rim section 28 of casing or lower body or nose section '29 integrated with metal cap or tip portion 30 of the pencil 1. The tip 30 and lower casing 29 define a common bore 31 which is of same diameter as bore 19 and 0 shell 3 defining the chamber 19 frictionally holds the 7 extends therefrom and continues to receive stem housing 18 which at its lower end is against shoulder 32 of tip 30, the housing 18 being fixed in the nozzle portions 29 and 3t and against rotation therefrom. The stem memher or plunger 16 has protuberances 33 that travel in spiral groove 34 extending vertically the length of bore 17 of housing 18. The end 35 of the stem 16 is bevelled and abuts against filler 36 such as lead, wax or the like. The filler 36 extends downwardlythrough bore 17 and out nozzle orifice 37 at end of tip 3t).

It will thus be appreciated that relative rotation of the casing 3 to nose section 29 results in travel of the plunger 16 downward forcing the filler 36 through the orifice 37 of nozzle 30 in the conventional manner of operation.

In the nose portion 30 there is a bore 38 joining with the orifice 3'7 and between the bottom 39 of housing 18 and ledge 40. A shield element 41 which may be be of flexible material of metal or elastomeric or plastic substance, such as nylon or ceramic, though nylon is preferable, is disposed in the lower end of the nozzle portion 30 and has flange or rim portion 42 with its peripheral surface 43 adjacent the bore 38 and its shoulder 44 in its fully outwardly extended position resting against ledge of nose section 30. Extending downward from the rim portion 42 is an elongated sleeve portion 45 that has an outer diameter approximate the size of the orifice or bore 37 of nose portion 30 and extends through the orifice 37 and outwardly thereof. The rim and sleeve portons 42 and 4-5 have a common longitudinally extending filler receiving bore or channel 46 through which passes the filler 36 and which frictionally engages the tiller 36 for movement of the shield 41 with movement of the tiller 36 upward or downward. The flange or rim 42 has four slots or grooves 47 90 apart from one another and extending from the outer periphery 43 to the bore 46 and from the top surface 48 of the rim 42 through the under surface 44 past the upper surface 49 of the sleeve 45 into the upper portion 50 of the sleeve 45 defining four thin rim and sleeve segments 51. FIGURES 5a and 5b illustrate the operation of the shield 41 wherein FIGURE 5a the shield 41 is in the relaxed position, the rim and sleeve sections 51 defining an upper bore portion 46a of bore 46 which is slightly less than the diameter of the filler 36 and a lower bore section 46b of bore 46 which is slightly greater than the diameter of the filler 36. When the filler 36 is extended through the bore 46, the thin flange sections 51 are deflected slightly outward by the filler 36 and frictionally cling snugly about the filler 36 in a clutching manner as seen in FIGURE 5b. In operation, the portion 36a of the filler 36 is protruded or extended outwardly of the shield 41 an amount desired by user and held there by the clutching action of the flanges 51 and the shield 41 is allowed to travel outwardly until its under surface or shoulder 44 abuts against the shoulder 40 as seen in FIGURE 1. As the filler portion 36a wears away in use, the shield 41 withdraws inwardly until its outer portion 41a assumes a position as approximately shown in FIGURE 4. This is because sufficient downward pressure applied by the user on the work surface 52 forces the shield 41 to ride up the filler 36 in a declutching manner. However when not in use, as when carried by the user the frictional clutching engagement of the flanges 51 about the filler holds the shield 36 in a position of last use, the shield 36 being retracted or extended outwardly of the pencil 1 upon movement of the filler 36.

In FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, there is shown a modified shield or filler protector 60 having a rim or flange portion 61 and a sleeve portion 62 and having a bore 63 with slightly smaller bore portion 63a than the filler 36 in the rim portion 61 in the relaxed position of the shield and a slightly greater portion 63b than the filler 36 in the sleeve portion 62 as is the case with shield 36. The rim section 61 also has a slot or vertical groove 64 from its outer perimeter to bore portion 63a that is joined by a horizontal semi-circular groove 65 in the sleeve section 62 just below the rim section 61. This arrangement provides for a slotted rim section 61 with a semi-circular or crescent shaped flange part 66 of sleeve portion 62 joining the rim section with the main sleeve portion 67. Passing of the filler 36 through the shield '60 expands the rim section 61 with its bore 63a snugly clasped about the filler 36 and also tipping rim section 61 about arm or flange portion 66 to further aid in providing a clutching, this slotted hinged rim section 61 providing a clutching and de-clutching as similarly discussed for FIGURES 1 through a and 5b for shield 41.

It will be appreciated that the protective shield means such as member 41 or 60 guards the filler 36 and prevents it from being broken and keeps the area adjacent the filler 36 from getting any of the filler material on such area such as by smearing or the like.

It will also be understood that the bevelled or tapered end 35 of the plunger or filler feeder means 16 when in use with the filler 36 gradually bevels the end of the filler 36 contacting the tip 35 so that the filler 36 is further aided to be constrained against rotation relative to the tip 35 and thus prevents outer end 36a of filler from slipping around or rotating as the Writer uses the pencil 1.

It will be understood that the embodiments heretofore discussed have been chosen to illustrate the preferred forms of the invention and are merely in the nature of illustration and not limitation and that the scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A mechanical pencil comprising a housing having a filler passage With an open end adapted for receiving a filler reciprocably therethrough, movable feeding means for moving the filler through the passage and out the open end, filler shield means freely reciprocable in said passage independent of the feeding means and comprising a sleeve element having an outer portion extendable outwardly of said housing and an inner shoulder portion provided with an internal abutting surface engaging within the open end of the passage to prevent the sleeve element from falling out of the passage, said outer portion of the sleeve element being in the form of a filler protecting and enveloping tube part defining with the shoulder portion a continuous filler bore, said sleeve element being provided with slot means intersecting with the bore and providing a slotted bore portion having dimension slightly less than the cross-sectional dimension of the filler in the unexpanded position of the slotted bore portion and being adapted to be extended when placed about the filler to an expanded position and having a dimension slightly greater than the dimension of the filler in the expanded position, whereby in said expanded position the slotted bore portion is adapted to snugly frictionally engage the filler in clutching action in moving the sleeve element with the movable feeding means and whereby the sleeve element is movable relative to the associated filler upon exertion of slight pressure on the outer portion of the sleeve element in a declutching action.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and said shoulder portion being in the form of an apertured flange having said slot means defining at least in part said slotted bore portion.

3. The invention according to claim 1 and said slot means being a plurality of radial slots intersecting with the bore of the sleeve element.

4. The invention according to claim 2 and the outer portion and the flange having said slot means extending in the direction of travel of the filler and intersecting with the filler bore, said outer portion having further slot means transverse to the slot means of the outer portion and the flange and intersecting with the bore of the sleeve element.

5. The invention according to claim 2 and said flange and said outer portion having a junction with one another and having a slot at the junction transverse to the direction of travel with the filler'and intersecting with the filler bore, said slot means being transverse to said slot and intersecting therewith.

6. The invention according to claim 1 and the filler having an inner end and the feeding means having an end provided with means engaging the inner end of the filler and constraining the filler against rotation relative to said feeder means.

7. The invention according to claim 1 and the filler having an inner end and the feeding means having a bevelled end engaging the inner end of the filler and constraining the filler against rotation relative to said feeding means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,068,833 7/13 Anderton 24-155 2,353,851 7/44 Rosan 24 2,484,640 lO/49 Mustard l7 2,528,328 10/50 Baker et al. 120--17 2,616,328 11/52 Kingsmore 84-24 X 2,634,074 5/53 Hasselquist 12018 2,866,438 12/58 Schischkow l2017 X FOREIGN PATENTS 626,665 5/27 France.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Examiner. 

1. A MECHANICAL PENCIL COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A FILLER PASSAGE WITH AN OPEN END ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING A FILLER RECIPROCABLY THERETHROUGH, MOVABLE FEEDING MEANS FOR MOVING THE FILLER THROUGH THE PASSAGE AND OUT THE OPEN END, FILLER SHIELD MEANS FREELY RECIPROCABLE IN SAID PASSAGE INDEPENDENT OF THE FEEDING MEANS AND COMPRISING A SLEEVE ELEMENT HAVING AN OUTER PORTION EXTENDABLE OUTWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING AND AN INNER SHOULDER PORTION PROVIDED WITH AN INTERNAL ABUTTING SURFACE ENGAGING WITHIN THE OPEN END OF THE PASSAGE TO PREVENT THE SLEEVE ELEMENT FROM FALLING OUT OF THE PASSAGE, SAID OUTER PORTION OF THE SLEEVE ELEMENT BEING IN THE FORM OF A FILLER PROTECTING AND ENVELOPING TUBE PART DEFINING WITH THE SHOULDER PORTION A CONTINUOUS FILLER BORE, SAID SLEEVE ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH SLOT MEANS INTERSECTING WITH THE BORE AND PROVIDING A SLOTTED BORE PORTION HAVING DIMENSION SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION OF THE FILLER IN THE UNEXPANDED POSITION OF THE SLOTTED BORE PORTION AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE EXTENDED WHEN PLACED ABOUT THE FILLER TO AN EXPANDED POSITION AND HAVING A DIMENSION SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE DIMENSION OF THE FILLER IN THE EXPANDED POSITION, WHEREBY IN SAID EXPANDED POSITION THE SLOTTED BORE PORTION IS ADAPTED TO SNUGLY FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE FILLER IN CLUTCHING ACTION IN MOVING THE SLEEVE ELEMENT WITH THE MOVABLE FEEDING MEANS AND WHEREBY THE SLEEVE ELEMENT IS MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE ASSOCIATED FILLER UPON EXERTION OF SLIGHT PRESSURE ON THE OUTER PORTION OF THE SLEEVE ELEMENT IN A DECLUTCHING ACTION. 